Straightforward advice to help vehicle repairers get ahead in today’s business environment.

Environmental best practice is good for the bottom line – that’s what smart firms are finding out when they take an approach to business management that focuses on:

  • reducing the use of energy, water and materials
  • minimising waste and pollution
  • increasing efficiency and reducing costs.

LESS WASTE = lower waste disposal costs

LESS WATER = lower water and trade waste costs

LESS ENERGY = lower power bills

LESS POLLUTION = no fines, less business risk and a better work environment

This series of fact sheets gives practical advice about pollution prevention and business efficiency measures to all firms involved in vehicle repair activities who want to be smart businesses:

  1. Smart business
  2. Managing stormwater and trade wastewater
  3. Hazardous substances: storage and use
  4. Spill control: thinking ahead for rapid response
  5. Managing and minimising waste
  6. Air pollution and noise control
  7. Energy efficiency: saving power adds up
  8. Water efficiency: saving water = saving money
  9. Materials efficiency: less resources = more profit
  10. Smart systems: measure to manage profit and the environment in your business
  11. Service stations (vehicle refuelling facilities)
  12. Mobile operations and vehicle recovery

These fact sheets pass on practical and straightforward tips that are the key to the financial success of resource-efficient companies.

They will enable you to help protect New Zealand’s clean, green image on which much of our economy depends – think of tourism, agriculture, food and films.

It’s about much more than just complying with the law – it’s also about profit and lifestyle.

Your environmental action plans and priorities

As you go through the Risk Radar programme, you will generate various action plans. But you can’t do all of them at once, so you will need to set some priorities.

You may find you need to spend some money on environmental protection – if so:

  • use the tips in fact sheets 5, 7, 8 and 9 to make some financial savings from environmental efficiency
  • use these savings to help offset the costs of any environmental compliance needs you identify in the other fact sheets
  • use the tips in fact sheet 10 to streamline your management systems to get bang for buck from your environmental efficiency and compliance measures

The costs of environmental equipment, products and waste services can sometimes be a deterrent. But why not consider environmental costs as a normal part of your operating expenses? It is reasonable for your pricing policy to reflect these costs. Tell your customers why you believe caring for the environment is important – and look for the efficiency savings that will make your environmental improvements cost-neutral – or even profitable.

The business case

Environmentally responsible vehicle repairers gain business benefits from:

  • more efficient use of energy, water and materials – and time
  • reduced environmental impacts
  • better competitive edge
  • higher profits
  • improved staff morale, retention, teamwork and productivity
  • meeting the expectations of suppliers who may be looking for established/documented environmental management systems

On the other hand, poor environmental performance is not good for your business, your employees, your customers or your local community. It can harm the health and safety of your staff, your company image, its financial performance and your own quality of life. It can also result in prosecution and fines, as well as higher insurance premiums and reduced book value.

The best case

We New Zealanders see the environment as one of our key community concerns. We all want and expect all sectors of the community to care about, protect and improve it. Who stands to benefit? We all do.

Good luck with your action plans as you take the time to go through the Risk Radar programme.

Acknowledgements

IAG NZ gratefully acknowledges the support of the Ministry for the Environment and the use of information from the New South Wales Environmental Protection Agency, the Auckland Regional Council and Auckland Panel and Paint in tailoring this fact sheet for use in New Zealand.

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